PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Washburn will continue its run in the MIAA Championship Tournament on the winners side of the bracket against No. 7 Missouri Southern at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 10.
LEADING OFF
>> Washburn baseball heads into day two of the MIAA Championship Tournament in the winners bracket as they will take on No. 7 Missouri Southern at 11 a.m. in Pittsburg, Kan.
>> Last time out the Ichabods won 11-1 in eight innings over No. 2 Central Missouri in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
>> Washburn is now 32-19 overall on the year and 21-12 inside the MIAA. They are 15-7 at Falley Field, 15-12 on the road and 2-0 in neutral field games.
>> The No. 7 nationally ranked Lions are 40-13 on the year after defeating Pittsburg State 9-5 in the first round of the MIAA Championship Tournament on Thursday.
>> The Ichabods are coming off a second straight 30-win season in 2023 where they went 30-22 (21-12 MIAA) and finished tied for third in the MIAA Regular Season.
>> With a win Friday morning Washburn will advance to the MIAA Championship game on Saturday at noon. With a loss the Ichabods will play Friday at 7 p.m. against the winner of the consolation game between Pittsburg State and Central Missouri.
>> In the 2024 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Ichabods were picked fourth after finishing tied for third in the 2023 regular season.
>> Washburn's roster consists of 26 returners from a season ago along with 25 newcomers broken down between 15 transfers and 10 true freshmen.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
>> Through 50 games Washburn is scoring 9.53 runs per game while allowing 7.19.
>> The Ichabods are 15-7 at Falley Field, 15-12 in road contests and 2-0 in neutral field games.
>> At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .327 with a .425 OB% and are slugging .574 as a team. They have 98 home runs and have drawn 255 walks.
>> Washburn's pitching staff has an ERA of 6.90 this season in 436.2 IP. They have struck out 366 batters while allowing 471 hits and issuing 281 walks.
>> The Ichabods have a .969 fielding percentage with 57 errors on the year and have turned 42 double plays.
>> On the basepaths Washburn has stolen 55 bases on 71 attempts while opponents have 58 stolen bases and have been thrown out 15 times.
>> The Ichabod hitters have collected 1,044 total bases while opponents are at 830 this year.
>> Washburn is starting and finishing games strong, outscoring opponents 60-33 in the first inning and 34-28 in the ninth. In extras they also have a 4-2 run edge. In the fourth inning the Ichabods are outscoring opponents 75-35.
AROUND THE ORDER
>> Payton McHarg has started and played in all 51 games for the Ichabods hitting .362 with a 1.242 OPS while hitting a team-high 21 home runs and driving in 66 runs. He has scored 65 runs and has 72 total hits.
>> Cash Jay leads the team hitting .369 in 489 games played with 48 starts. He has the second highest OPS at 1.150 with a team-high 21 doubles. He is second on the team with 15 home runs while driving in 58 on 73 total hits.
>> Connor Scott is batting .364 on the year in 49 games played with 46 starts. He has a 1.050 OPS and a team-high 17 stolen bases to pair with seven home runs and three triples to drive in 35 runs.
>> Cale Savage has the fourth highest OPS on the squad at 1.041 with 63 hits and 13 home runs while starting in all 51 games this season. He leads the team drawing 44 walks on the year for a .440 OB%.
>> Hayden Priest has started in 48 of the 49 games he has appeared in and is hitting .357 on the year with a .981 OPS. He has 66 hits driving in 56 runs and has only struck out 29 times in 185 at bats.
>> Jett Buck is slashing .326 on the year with 46 appearances and 45 starts this season. He has 59 hits, 12 doubles, a triple. His 14 home runs are third on the team and he is second with eight stolen bases.
>> Cal Watkins has played in 44 games and made 40 starts hitting .268 with 27 RBI, 13 doubles and five home runs.
>> Blake Scott has made 22 starts and played in 35 games this season hitting .365 with a 1.107 OPS. He has a team-high .539 OB% with three home runs and 16 RBI.
>> Grant Jones hast played in 38 games and made 35 starts. He is hitting .293 on the year with a .455 OB% and 21 RBI.
>> Trevor McCollum has played in 37 games making 24 starts while hitting .265 with a .410 OB% and a pair of triples.
ON THE MOUND
>> Seventeen players have taken the mound this season for Washburn.
>> Cooper Carlgren leads the Ichabods with 68.1 innings across 14 starts this season. He has a 6.32 ERA and a 5-3 record along with a team-high 63 strikeouts. Hitters have a .261 batting average against him.
>> Caden Bressler has thrown 49.1 innings in 14 outings this season, with eight starts and six bullpen calls. He has a 5.66 ERA, lowest among starting pitchers, a 3-3 record and 27 strikeouts with 47 hits allowed.
>> Griffin Huiatt is third on the Ichabods throwing 60.0 innings this season in 17 appearances with eight starts for a 5.55 ERA. He has a 3-3 record, is second on the team with 59 strikeouts and is tied for a team-high with two saves.
>> Chase Torkelson is second on the team throwing 64.1 innings across 14 starts this season with a 5-0 record for the most wins on the squad. He has a 6.99 ERA, has struck out 50 batters and walked 41 hitters.
>> Charlie Kiefer is 4-2 this season throwing in 19 games total with three starts. He has a 5.30 ERA in 35.2 innings of work. He has struck out 20 batters with one save.
>> Fidel Hatch has thrown in 17 games this season making one start with a 7.03 ERA. In 32.0 innings. He has struck out 25 and has picked up two saves, tied for a team-high.
>> Sam Wragge is 2-0 on the year with a team-low 3.27 ERA across 11.0 innings in 12 appearances.
>> Cole Warner has thrown 16.1 innings in 16 appearances out of the bullpen with a 6.61 ERA and a 1-0 record. He has struck out 14 on the year.
>> Jayden Payne has thrown 14.2 innings across 18 appearances out of the bullpen. He has a 7.98 ERA with a 1-0 record and has struck out 12 batters.
IN THE FIELD
>> Jett Buck leads the team with 102 assists, Cal Watkins is second with 100 and Cash Jay rounds out the infield with 97.
>> Excluding first basemen and catchers, Connor Scott leads the team with 125 putouts, Payton McHarg has 85.
>> Hayden Priest has thrown out nine baserunners from behind the plate.
HEAD COACH HARLEY DOUGLAS
>> Former Washburn All-MIAA outfielder Harley Douglas enters his 10th season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program in 2024.
>> In nine plus seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 256-215 with five appearances in the MIAA Tournament and led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2022.
>> He has also coached a total of 54 All-MIAA selections, including the MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2016.
>> Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2012 he was the head coach at St. Marys HS from 2003-06 and at Rossville HS from 2007-10.
>> Douglas is a two-time Washburn graduate, receiving his Exercise Physiology degree in 2002 before earning an Education degree in 2004. He also earned a Master's Degree in Adaptive Special Education from Emporia State in 2010.
ASSISTANT COACHES
>> Connor Crimmins is in his sixth season with the Ichabods after spending the prior two seasons on Brad Hill's Kansas State staff serving as a graduate assistant
>> While at Washburn, Crimmins played both football and baseball, finishing his career on the diamond top 10 in sacrifice flies (4th/11), doubles (6th/38) and RBI (t-7th/132), while having the 12th-most at-bats (575).
>> He graduated from Washburn in 2016 with his bachelor's and earned his master's in college student development and counseling from K-State.
>> Rane Pfeifer joins the Ichabod coaching staff in 2024 after wrapping up a three-year career with Washburn in 2023
>> He finished his career second all-time in opponent batting average (.218), third in games started (36), fourth in strikeouts (210) and 19th in innings pitched (165.2)
>> Pfeifer graduated from Washburn with a bachelor's degree in business management in May 2022
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE LIONS
>> The Lions are 40-13 on the year overall after a 9-5 win over Pittsburg State in round one of the MIAA Championship Tournament on Thursday.
>> MSSU is 4-1 in neutral field games this season.
>> A season ago they went 45-17 overall and 25-8 in the MIAA, advancing to the MIAA Championship and to the NCAA Central Region Championship.
>> Missouri Southern's offense is hitting .314 on the year with a .429 OB%, .522 SLG% and 72 home runs.
>> Henry Kusiak leads the Lions offensively with a .397 average playing and starting in all 53 games. He has a team-high 1.220 OPS along with 13 home runs while driving in 55.
>> Will Doherty leads the team with 67 RBI while playing and starting in all 53 games. He is hitting .392 with 10 home runs on the year and a team-high 22 doubles.
>> Drew Townsend has also started in all 52 games and has a .323 average and 1.054 OPS. He is tied for the team lead with 13 home runs and seven stolen bases.
>> On the mound, Missouri Southern's staff has a 4.69 ERA in 456.1 innings with 423 strikeouts and 206 walks issued.
>> Cole Gayman has a 11-2 record in 15 starts with 92.2 innings pitched and a 2.33 ERA. He has struck out 87 batters and allowed just 60 hits on the year. Opponents are hitting .181 against him.
>> Trent Harris had a 5.16 ERA across 13 appearances and 12 starts. He is 5-0 on the year with 61 strikeouts in 59.1 total innings while giving up 55 hits.
>> Keaton Anderson has made 17 appearances with four starts on the year. Across 45.0 innings he has a 3.00 ERA and a 4-0 record with 32 strikeouts.
HEAD COACH BRYCE DARNELL
>> begins his 17th season as head coach at Missouri Southern in 2024
>> In 16 seasons leading the Lions, Darnell has a career record of 479-334. His 479 wins rank 7th-best in MIAA history
>> A 1997 graduate of Missouri Southern, Darnell had been the head baseball coach at Webb City High School for eight years
>> A three-year player for the Lions from 1994-1996, Darnell transferred to Southern after a year at the University of Minnesota
SERIES HISTORY
>> Friday's game will be the 111th meeting between Washburn and Missouri Southern with the Lions leading the all-time series 70-40.
>> The first game between the two programs came on March 20, 1990 in Joplin and was a 11-2 win for Missouri Southern.
>> Earlier this season the Lions took the regular season series over the Ichabods two games to one in Joplin.
MILESTONE MARKERS
>> Cale Savage is currently 4th in program history in home runs hit, 7th in walks and is 11th in RBI.
>> Cal Watkins is fourth in program history in doubles with 44 and is 12th in the record books with 184 total hits.
>> Payton McHarg is 3rd in program history for the most home runs in a season, 4th in runs batted in and 5th in slugging percentage.
>> Charlie Kiefer is tied for 5th in program history with 7 career saves, he is tied for 6th in program history with 53 total appearances.
WASHBURN BASEBALL HISTORY
>> The 2024 season will be the 72nd year of Washburn Baseball.
>> The Ichabods have gone 1359-1286-3 in that time.
>> There has been 33 seasons with 20+ wins; 23 seasons with 25+ wins; and 12 seasons with 30+ wins.
>> Washburn has earned 25 All-Region selections and nine All-America awards.
ON DECK
>> If Washburn wins on Friday morning they will advance to the Championship game at noon on Saturday. If they lose they will face the winner of the consolation game between Central Missouri and Pittsburg State on Friday night at 7 p.m.
